Emotional Skills In Social Work Practice

Emotional Skills In Social Work Practice Social Work Practice, a powerful modern day skill for social empowerment of the disadvantaged and excluded segments of society, is an occupation of enormous scope and an immensely stressful activity (Burgess Taylor, 2004). Educated and trained in social work theory and practice, these practitioners are required to constantly interact, assess and understand situations, as well engage in various actions aimed at providing appropriate relief and succour to their disadvantaged clients (Burgess Taylor, 2004). This calls for significant knowledge of the tenets of social work practice. However, social workers in the UK function in an increasingly management oriented setting which is more organisational and administrative, with an emphasis on private public participation, accountability and coordination (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 7 to 81). Increasing competition between social work providers, business-oriented standards for performance assessment, mounting work pressures and the need to micro manage and carefully control the distribution of services often lead to personal dilemmas, contradictory emotions and disorientation (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 7 to 81). Significant failures in social work have brought to the fore various challenges facing social workers in processing and comprehending their own emotions and actions, as well as those of others (Perez-Koenig Rock, 2001, P 25 to110). Modern day behavioural experts and psychologists feel that much of the reasons behind such failures lie in the inadequacies of traditionally followed training approaches, which deal primarily with the inculcation of practical and theoretical competencies and ignore broader and more holistic emotional issues (Perez-Koenig Rock, 2001, P 25 to110). Adequate attention to emotional issues in the training and development of social workers is felt to be critically important for (a) aligning the emotional dimensions of social work, which, while essential, is rendered invisible, with the natural caring roles of social workers (b) providing supportive agendas for individual and professional development (c) providing processes to define the emotional constituent of social work practice that is obliterated by the increase of managerial practices in the area, (d) tackling the disruptive power of emotions on thought, (e) creating an effective balance between rational and emotional reactions for making of sensible and wise decisions, and (f) bridging cultural differences (Turner, 2005). Whilst the origins of Emotional Intelligence (EI) can be traced back to the works of Darwin, its modern day emergence, as a serious and relevant issue for study and application in various areas of work that involve people, arose first with the work of Robert Maslow in 1960, followed by those of John Mayer and Peter Salovey in 1989. Peter Salovey described EI as the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide ones thinking and actions (Nelson Others, 2007, P 30). The concept of EI received a boost with the work of the psychologist Daniel Goleman, who popularised it, first with his 1995 book Emotional intelligence: why it can matter more than IQ and thereafter through constant research and work on the subject (Nelson Others, 2007, P 30). Goleman has developed a number of EI competencies in two specific areas of EI, personal competence and social competence, and has encouraged the inclusion of EI in the education and training module of social work (Nelson Others, 2007, P 30). This essay deals with the various ramifications of EI in social work and its use and application for fresh entrants, educated and trained in the area, principally in three specific disciplines; counselling, conflict management and social work practice, 2. EI in Counselling New entrants in the area of social work counselling will be required to help people of various ages from different segments of society to confront and overcome a diverse range of problems and challenges (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). Counsellors aim to provide people with the guidance and support they require to alter their lives and move forward in a constructive manner. Social work counselling can loosely be segregated into (a) counselling and therapy (assisting clients with different emotional problems) (b) providing advice and information in areas related to jobs, employment choices, welfare, rights, debt, etc. (c) social and community care, (helping with providing of support to families, young and old people, and those without homes or with disabilities) and (d) charities and other voluntary organisations (providing support to workers to collect funds and organise volunteers in order to continue their operations (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). Recent years have seen an increasing conflict between the managerial and administrative functions of social workers and their requirement to meet individuals at the time of their need, give them respect, battle disadvantages and unfairness, construct relationships that resolve problems, and support wellbeing (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). People in need of counselling have time and again requested to be treated with dignity and respect, to be patiently listened to and helped (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). Effective counselling requires social workers to listen carefully, react effectively and build relationships with service users, colleagues and others (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). Golemans four core competencies, namely self awareness, self management, social awareness, and relationship management can be of immense help to new counsellors by enabling them to understand personal emotions and their effect on other people, as well as by developing the ability to control strong emotions that can upset service users (Druskat Others, 2006, P 72 to 145). Inculcation of social awareness enables new counsellors to recognise the emotional condition of their clients, bridge cultural and social distances and understand the challenges and difficulties experienced by service users (Druskat Others, 2006, P 72 to 145). Relationship management on the other hand equips counsellors to converse with service users, persuades them to listen to and understand the suggestions of the counsellor, and build strong bonds (Druskat Others, 2006, P 72 to 145). The principles of client centred therapy, popularised by Carl Rogers, require counsellors to refrain from unsettling clients with queries, evaluations, judgments, and explanations, but to focus upon providing secure, non-judgemental and caring environments, where the service users can control counselling sessions, decide what is discussed, and find their individual solutions to existing problems without requiring the counsellors to fix the course of therapy (Mulhauser, G, (2009, P 1). Carl Rogers based his framework on the belief that individuals become progressively more truthful and dependable once they realise that their subjective understanding is appreciated and accepted. Rogers core conditions, better known as CUE, consist of Congruence, Unconditional Positive Regard, and Empathy (Mulhauser, G, (2009, P 1). These three conditions are of extreme importance in client-centred counselling and new counsellors need to inculcate a deep understanding of them in order to provide requisite conditions for clients who have a strong desire to explore their feelings and who treasure personal responsibility. Such an approach may however be unsuitable for clients who wish to be provided with extensive advice, diagnosis of problems and analysis of their problems (Mulhauser, G, (2009, P 1). Clients who would like to address specific psychological habits or patterns of thinking may find some variation in the helpfulness of the person-centred approach, as the individual therapeutic styles of person-centred counsellors vary widely, and some will feel more able than others to engage directly with these types of concerns. (Mulhauser, 2009, P 1) Whilst newly inducted counsellors need to be careful about the requirement of their clients, the use of emotional skills is often necessary and needs to be fully inculcated by counsellors. 3. EI in Conflict Management Social workers, especially those taking up positions in social work organisations, understand that their work will often deal with conflict and that too in various roles, as advocates, negotiators and mediators (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Social work education comprises of a wide range of perspectives, (like environmental, radical and feminist), which in turn are based upon dissimilar premises regarding human relationships (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Social work practice requires different approaches from different perspectives in case of intervention for resolution or management of situations of conflict (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Examples of such situations (in terms of the above perspectives) could include interface between individuals and their social environments, confronting patriarchy, or challenging discrimination and oppression against a wide range of groups, including women, lesbians, gays and ethnic minorities (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Conflict resolution training for social workers provides numerous principles for successful conflict resolution, like (a) the need for different responses for different conflicts, (b) the availability of different responses like avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise or collaboration for bringing about solutions, (c) the need of people to feel secure from physical or emotional hazards, (d) the availability of various skills for conflict resolution skills like refraining, active listening, and identification of underlying interests, and (e) the need to balance emotions with rationality (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Social workers are undoubtedly aware of the lack of emotional intelligence being the main cause of conflict (Lenaghan Others, 2006, P 76+). Researchers in EI also argue that a lack of emotional intelligence is one of the leading causes of conflict in our society (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Contemporary training tools make significant use of Goldmans principles on EI, particularly self-confidence, emotional self-control, transparency, empathy, motivation and relationship management (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Golemans work makes a valuable contribution to conflict management theory and training, and a compelling case for the importance of emotion in what we believe to be rational decision-making processes (Bjerknes HYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bioHYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bio Paranica, 2002, P1). Golemans theories constructively help social workers understand the important role of emotion in life and the reliance placed upon emotional input for making decisions and prioritisation of information. This greatly helps in minimising conflict in personal and working life (Bjerknes HYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bioHYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bio Paranica, 2002, P1). Solid training that focuses on developing awareness about our strengths and weaknesses as mediators, facilitators and trainers is crucial to our development as culturally competent process workers, and is crucial in our pursuit to help clients achieve their potential. Openness to learning and reflecting about our role, about who we are, and about how we affect others is essential and will lead us down the path to success in life. (Bjerknes HYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bioHYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bio Paranica, 2002, P1) 4. EI in Social Work Practice Social Work practitioners are required to interact with service users, social workers and other participants of the social care system like medical practitioners, teachers and members of local authorities (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). With the interaction between social workers and service users being the focal point of social work practice, the relationship between social worker and service user involves perception on the part of the practitioner, appreciation of the emotions of the client and usage of perceptions to handle situations and achieve efficiency in delivery of social care (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). Such work demands a high degree of emotional intelligence (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). Social work in the present context does not extend only to the assessment and fulfilment of perceived social needs (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172), but also to the realisation of and respect for the service users goals, choices, and preferences and the use of interdisciplinary resources available with the social worker to meet their emotional, social, physical and economic needs. Social workers need to engage in active introspection of events, try to obtain a clear psychological understanding of the challenges and needs of service users and inculcate genuine concern for the economically and socially disadvantaged and excluded (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). Whilst such perceptions cannot be generalised because of the different needs of different people, the inculcation of empathy and service orientation facilitates the development of necessary perspectives and perceptions (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). Social workers entering practice should recognise that they need to confront their own emotions as well as those of their service users, especially so in cases where the issues are extremely challenging and difficult to resolve. Goleman identifies five EQ domains as (a) knowledge of own, (b) management of own emotions, (c) motivating oneself, (d) recognising and understanding emotions of other people, and (e) management of relationships, i.e. the management of emotions of other people (Druskat Others, 2006, P 152 to 189). Experts also agree that EI, along with reflective ability enables social workers to increase their resilience to stress (Druskat Others, 2006, P 152 to 189). Self awareness and self management competencies help social workers to progressively develop self confidence, transparency, and optimism (Druskat Others, 2006, P 152 to 189). Social awareness and relationship management on the other hand allow them to engage positively with their clients as well as with other participants in the social care structure (Druskat Others, 2006, P 152 to 189). It is unfortunate that current research reports still underline the need for social workers to have more empathy for their clients. They found that being listened to and understood was crucial for the carers. Staff who took time to ask questions and hear complex and long stories of how the family were coping was seen as the most helpful. These findings confirm previous ones and it is of great concern that people using services are still identifying that only some social workers are proficient in such crucial and basic skills. (Sedan, 2005, P 7) It is being constantly proved that the difference between the better social workers and the others can be narrowed down to skills like listening, non-critical acceptance, avoidance of moralistic or judgemental attitudes and other competencies directly related to EI. New social workers need to heed such findings and focus strongly on improving their EI and E skills. 5. Conclusions The principles of EI, when they were first elaborated by Mayor and Salovey raised significant interest in a world that was becoming increasingly competitive and insensitive; the possibility of people being able to adopt techniques and behaviours to work with greater cooperation, harmony and productivity was welcomed with enthusiasm. The path breaking work on the subject by Goleman in following years and the adoption of the tenets of EI in various areas of human endeavour, more noticeably in social work and in the HR functions of business firms, have resulted in its increasing popularity and application. As is evident, EI can be applied in numerous areas by social work practitioners; it is an extremely useful skill and can be used productively in counselling, conflict management and various other areas of social work practice. Whilst interest in the area of human needs and actualisation has increased since the publication of Maslows theories, the evolution of specific theory on the issue has added a new dimension to the area by developing methods for people to increase their E skills and improve the quality and productivity of their working and personal lives. Recent entrants to social work however need to realise that E skills and EI can increase only with constant inculcation and application of its principles and bare knowledge of theoretical tenets will not suffice in improving their EI competencies. With the tools and methods of improving EI still in the primary stages development, much more needs to be done to popularise the issue and encourage its application in various areas of social work. The Boston EI questionnaire provides a good method of assessing personal EI, which is in consonance with the Five Step Method for improvement of emotional quotient (Druskat Others, 2006, P 225). Younger social workers would be well advised to sincerely take the test and constantly improve their EI.

Internal and external analysis of Kelloggs

Internal and external analysis of Kelloggs In this assignment Im going to make an external analysis and an internal analysis of the Kelloggs company. Im going to choose four tools to make the all analysis. For the external analysis I will do PESTEL and Porters five force models and for the internal analysis I will do the Value chain and a benchmarking on Cereal SBU Presentation of the organization Kellogg Company is the United States largest cereal-Maker. In 1898, Will Keith and John Harvey give birth to the famous breakfast cereal Kelloggs Corn Flakes. Thanks to the success of the products Will Keith create in 1906 the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company. Kellogg is the leading producer of breakfast cereals in the world. It takes places in 18 countries and sells it products in more than 180 countries. Between 1938 and the present day Kellogg opened manufacturing plants in the UK, Canada, Australia, Latin America and Asia. Kellogg produce a wide range of cereal product including the well-know brand of Kelloggs corn flakes, rice krispies, special K , fruit n fibre, as well as the nuti-grain cereal bars. The philosophy was improved diet leads to improved health Kellogg company mission statement: Kellogg is a Global Company Committed to Building Long-Term Growth in Volume and Profit and to Enhancing its Worldwide Leadership Position by Providing Nutritious Food Products of Superior Value Analysis of Kelloggs external environment Analysis of Macro-environment influences through the PESTEL model The headquarter of Kellogg company is currently base in Battle Creek in the Michigan. I will base my PESTEL analysis in the country of the USA Political : Reforms for the problem of obesity in USA (wide problem) US focus on cereal products in the level of 17% of the food market(2000) Economical : The deterioration of general economic activity and the contraction of the food market have not been without consequences for the food industry .Faced with financial difficulties and difficulties of access People doesnt have money to buy expressive food because of the decrease of salary. High unemployment rate : 9,00%( january 2011) GDP in 2009:14  266  milliards of $ Curent Deft: 6% of GDP Increase of the inflation rate:1,5% Decrease of the money , low rate of the dollar Hard competition between the breakfast and snack brands Decrease of all the sales in cereal market (began in 2005 with less 0, 4%) Social : Population of USA: 312.061.000 people increase of obesity rate so the cereal market develop the sector of light food Lack of time to take a breakfast: American people would like some easy to transport at work or at school to eat. The increase in the Third Age population group (due to better living conditions and better health care) will decrease the sales of Kellogg children product and down growth for adult products. Importance of the health, safety People want to be inform on what people it Technological : Innovation on the cereal market: different package, small bar (snack), resealable package (or close package) Recycling package Innovation in communication and advertising level Scientific progress on the health- diet food Increase the cost of RD Kelloggs did a matrix Sustainability ingredients Environmental : Development of the biologic and natural food Development of ecologic packaging, and recyclable packaging to avoid the waste Legal : environnemental charter Health claims is becoming more prevalent with the increase of the power of American heath associations. Globalization creates homogeneity of consumer behaviour. Globalization is a key driver for standardization. This sector of tourism has to take into account the requirements of global customers. (Standardize the food, the drink, the activitiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Because of this standardization competition increases between firms within the tourism sector. This price war will lead to decrease price. The five porters force Analysis Industry competitor: In the market industry four large companies are dominant (Kellogg, Nestlà ©, MDD and Jordans). Its an oligopolistic situation (a small number of sellers and a large number of applicants). The competition between the organizations is high and intense because of the price principally. Threat of a Substitution: there are many substitutes because of private label Threat of entry: The cereal industry is oligopolistic, so is very difficult for other firm to enter in this sector. If firm want to penetrate this market he has to have competitive prices, and has to make marketing communication and promotion to attract consumers Bargaining power of buyers: the power of buyer is low in the cereal industry; consumers dont have a deep impact. Bargaining power of suppliers: the power of suppliers is low because the importance of the market shares of private labels. They do exactly the products in cheaper prices. Suppliers can buy product independently. Source: Adapted from Porter M (1998, cited by Johnson G al, 2008) Analysis of Kelloggs internal environment (internal strategy) The Kelloggs value chain Support Activities Firm infrastructure: In order to maintain a good satisfaction level from its clients, Kellogg uses several services and the entire organisation is flexible. Quality Control Finance Accounting Information system(internal communication) : high level Kelloggs has an intranet to expose the information of the firm Legal service : the law concerning the production of the product Logistical support (restoration) Planning : Provide a planning to clients and Anticipate customers needs Human Resources Management: The company allows a dynamic of human resources management policy. For doing that well, Kellogg establish a model wish name is Kellogg business leaders model (KBLM).It is the base of everyone in Kellogg industry, it improves the competencies of each works and allow to progress in the company. This model is one of the most important competitive advantage, it allow adding value to the firm. Recruitment policy: Kellogg is looking for talent workers to develop new products and give freedom to do innovation. It does recruitment on international dimension. Training: Kellogg establishes the standing coaching to help workers to improve future operations and profitability. Kellogg is developing  plan  for  individual career to respond to the workers needs (new skills) The innovation is one of the most important sectors that Kellogg develops; it gives time to worker just to think about innovation. Performance measure Kellogg measuring performance and make feedback to add value Add value Kellogg motivates employees in giving merit reward when they perform. Technology Development: RD for products The innovation is a part of Kelloggs culture, it is the most important cereal heathcare company The development of products aimed at meeting consumers health and nutrition needs. The development of products packaging to ameliorate the communication for consumer and his comfort (when he use the product) Innovation on the image of health cereal: cereal for men target. Innovation the type of product(museli, cereal) Innovation to keep the iron in the cereal culture Innovation to give notoriety and visibility of the product The company has announced that it is testing the possibility of using lasers to etch the companys  name into corn flakes to let customers know they are eating a genuine Kellogs product(geek.com) Innovation in communication all around the world Procurement: To achieve economies of scale, purchasing division negotiate with suppliers to obtain group rates to reduce reduce cost and save time on delivery. Inbound Logistics: Kellogg calls the best suppliers and partners in term of cost efficiency, maintain the quality of the products. The suppliers are responsible (deal with) all the tasks upstream.( packaging, manufacturing, transportation management services, logistics management services and supplier management/procureme nt) the inbound logistic is automatic , evry part of the production is automated. Operations: Kellogg has un structure for all operation system very flexible. Kellogg set up On office in each country of the world. So Kellogg can manage the transformation between the raw material and the final product Outbound logistics: The distribution of the products to consumers (end user) is doing via a multi-layers channel system. The different channel of distribution allows comforting the consumers during the purchase. (distribution on retail, hypermarket and supermarket in general) Marketing and sales: All the consumers are familiar with the Kelloggs brand and Kellogg cereal. Kellogg company make sponsorships locally to height brand awareness. Thank to that Kellogg cereal are famous in all around the world. Kelloggs cereal use sometime promotion to reduce the price and increase the purchase. Kellogg  has managed  to  establish itself  in  almost  all   supermarkets  and  hypermarkets  in the world Services: Kellogg  offers  several   services  that  can   enhance  these  product to  the  consumer. Kellogg offering outstanding customer services( promotion to attract people and to loyaty the consumer with a relational   communication program  across all  brands  for adults and children,  built around a  mini-consumer Primary Activities Benchmarking To do this benchmark we are going to take the Kelloggs human resources sector and we will compare with Nestlà © human resource (Nestlà © is the principal competitor). Kelloggs Nestlà © HR culture Goal: add value thanks to innovation HR program: Kellogg business leaders model Kellogg join the high ethical standards -Freedom in the post HR program:Principles  of  Conduct Nestlà ©s business relationships between employees Communication is the principal factor of the HR policy. Equity between employees has to be respected. Give responsibility to employees Non freedom in the post Selection recruitment Kellogg is looking for talent workers Human Diversity attract and loyalty future employees(long term contract) Recruitment on the personality and professional skills develop a long term relationship. Training and Development Trainee program Personal development and team development Tainting program -Personal development Pay Benefit employee rewarding benefit: adaptation of working hours Employees social security. wage level( inferior to superior) Equity Financial compensation allows motivating employees. Participation/employee relation/communication -Power of employees unions -participation in important decisions. Every employee has got a personal responsibility in the company. -Importance of employee association.

Catcher In The Rye And Huck Finn :: essays research papers

All novels contain common elements and qualities. In most cases the plot, conflict, and a narrative voice forms the style of writing. Frequently the incidents told are direct experiences from the narrator himself. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Huckleberry Finn by Samuel Clemens employ these characteristics, particularly using a constructive voice, symbolism, and a complex connected sequence of events, dealing with human experiences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many instances in The Catcher in the Rye which deal with such characteristics. The novel is told in first person through the eyes of the narrator, Holden. He recalls the events as a series of flashbacks placing the setting of the story in his mind. Next, there is the repeated use of symbolism throughout the novel. Three major symbols were the ducks, the Museum of Natural History, and Jane Gallagher. While Holden is wandering around New York City, he asks many people about what happens to the ducks in the pond when it freezes. In actuality, the ducks represent Holden wondering about himself. Jane Gallagher and the Museum of Natural History, both represent the theme of the past in two different aspects. Jane Gallagher was an old friend of the past, and he mentions calling her repeatedly throughout the story. She is a significant part of his past that he misses a lot, which makes him want to reminisce those times once again. The Museum of Natural History, o n the other hand, makes Holden realize he will never be the same as he used to be, and this changes his mind on wanting to return to the past. All of these hidden messages represent Holden, revealing the way he thinks and acts. Throughout the novel there’s continuance of events that deal with human experiences. The novel is based on the story of his nervous breakdown lead by being expelled from Pencey Prep, increasing feelings of loneliness and desperation brought on by the insincerity and ugliness of the adult world, and the tormenting memories of the death of his younger brother Allie.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Huckleberry Finn was also written in first person but through the eyes of the Huck Finn. Huck tells about a series of adventures, making many observations on human nature and the South as he does. The use of symbolism is again portrayed throughout this novel. It is often said that the story of Huck Finn is about Mark Twain himself.

Muhammad Ali :: Cassius Clay

Muhammad Ali Also known as: Cassius Marcellus Clay, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., Cassius Clay (1942- ) Professional boxer Personal Information Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; name changed to Muhammad Ali, 1963; born January, 17, 1942, in Louisville, KY; son of Cassius (a piano player) and Odessa Clay (both deceased); first wife, Belinda; second wife, Aaisha; third wife, Veronica Porche; fourth (and current) wife, Yolanda Williams, married in 1986; children: nine (one with Yolanda). Religion: Muslim. Addresses: Home--P.O. Box 187, Berrien Springs, MI 59103. Career Former world heavyweight boxing champion. Began professional career, 1960; initially became heavyweight champ, 1964; stripped of title and boxing license over refusal to participate in the Vietnam War, 1966; retired from boxing, 1981. Appeared in film The Greatest, 1976, and television film Freedom Road. Awards Olympic Gold Medal in boxing, 1960; six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles; National Golden Gloves titles, 1959-60; World Heavyweight Championship, 1964-67, 1974-78, 1978-79; U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, inductee, 1983; named the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, Ring Magazine, 1987; International Boxing Hall of Fame, inductee, 1990; Jim Thorpe Pro Sports Award, Lifetime Achievement, 1992; Muhammad Ali Museum, Louisville Galleria, opened 1995; Essence Award, 1997. Writings †¢ (With Richard Durham) The Greatest: My Own Story, Random House, 1975. Biographical Information Three-time world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, known for his lyrical charm and boasts as much as for his powerful fists, has moved far beyond the boxing ring in both influence and purpose. Ali won an Olympic gold medal and later tossed it into a river because he was disgusted by racism in America. As a young man he was recruited by Malcolm X to join the Nation of Islam. He refused to serve in Vietnam--a professional fighter willing to serve time in jail for his pacifist ideals. He has contributed to countless, diverse charities and causes. And his later years have found him interested in world politics as he has battled to keep Parkinson's disease at bay. Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., on January 17, 1942, and was raised in a clapboard house at 3302 Grand Avenue in middle-class Louisville, Kentucky. He began boxing at the age of 12. A white Louisville patrolman named Joe Martin, who had an early television show called "Tomorrow's Champions," started Ali working out in Louisville's Columbia Gym, but it was a black trainer named Fred Stoner who taught Ali the science of boxing. Stoner taught him to move with the grace of a dancer, and impressed upon him the subtle skills necessary to move beyond good and into the realm of great.

Smallpox :: essays research papers

Smallpox   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smallpox was a disease that was caused by a virus. The virus spread when an uninfected person came in direct contact with a sick person and breathed in the virus. Usually, the virus was in tiny drops that were coughed up by the sick person. After about two weeks the infected person would develop a high fever and muscle aches and pains. After about three days of fever the person would break out in a rash all over his or her body. At first it looked like red spots, but these spots gradually became blisters that were about the size of a pencil eraser. After about five days of rash, the fluid in the clear blisters turned to pus. The more pus spots that a person had, the more likely he or she was to die.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were two main types of a smallpox virus. Variola major, which killed about 20 percent of the people who were infected and variola minor, which killed about 2 percent of its victims. If a person did not die, the pus gradually dried up to form scabs that dropped off after one or two weeks. The pus spots on the face often left permanent scars known as pockmarks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smallpox was known to the ancient peoples of China, India, and Egypt. Pharaoh Ramses V died of it in 1157 BC. It spread wherever large numbers of people moved, and it was a very serious problem in cities where people lived close together. It first reached Europe in the fifth century, and it was one of the leading causes of death in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was brought to the Americas many times during that period, first by the Spanish conquerors and later by African slaves, where it wiped out many native American populations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Hindu god Krishna is believed to have loved milkmaids because of their beautiful, unscarred, complexions. Milkmaids, of course, spent a lot of time around cows, which are carriers of cowpox, a virus similar to the smallpox virus. In 1796 the British physician, Edward Jenner, after noting that milkmaids were spared the smallpox, demonstrated that if he infected the skin of someone with the scab of a cowpox sore, that person would not get smallpox. This was the beginning of vaccination. During the next 130 years, the practice of vaccination was gradually adopted by health workers in all parts of the world, but the disease still survived in many places where not enough people were vaccinated. Smallpox :: essays research papers Smallpox   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smallpox was a disease that was caused by a virus. The virus spread when an uninfected person came in direct contact with a sick person and breathed in the virus. Usually, the virus was in tiny drops that were coughed up by the sick person. After about two weeks the infected person would develop a high fever and muscle aches and pains. After about three days of fever the person would break out in a rash all over his or her body. At first it looked like red spots, but these spots gradually became blisters that were about the size of a pencil eraser. After about five days of rash, the fluid in the clear blisters turned to pus. The more pus spots that a person had, the more likely he or she was to die.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were two main types of a smallpox virus. Variola major, which killed about 20 percent of the people who were infected and variola minor, which killed about 2 percent of its victims. If a person did not die, the pus gradually dried up to form scabs that dropped off after one or two weeks. The pus spots on the face often left permanent scars known as pockmarks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smallpox was known to the ancient peoples of China, India, and Egypt. Pharaoh Ramses V died of it in 1157 BC. It spread wherever large numbers of people moved, and it was a very serious problem in cities where people lived close together. It first reached Europe in the fifth century, and it was one of the leading causes of death in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was brought to the Americas many times during that period, first by the Spanish conquerors and later by African slaves, where it wiped out many native American populations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Hindu god Krishna is believed to have loved milkmaids because of their beautiful, unscarred, complexions. Milkmaids, of course, spent a lot of time around cows, which are carriers of cowpox, a virus similar to the smallpox virus. In 1796 the British physician, Edward Jenner, after noting that milkmaids were spared the smallpox, demonstrated that if he infected the skin of someone with the scab of a cowpox sore, that person would not get smallpox. This was the beginning of vaccination. During the next 130 years, the practice of vaccination was gradually adopted by health workers in all parts of the world, but the disease still survived in many places where not enough people were vaccinated.

Saving Private Ryan

The ingenious film, directed by Steven Spielberg, ‘Saving Private Ryan' is in my opinion the most realistic film to ever portray the D- Day landings. Many critics have even said it to be so vivid that the only element missing is the smell. In the Film's first battle scene, lasting twenty- five minutes in total, it brings all reality into the living nightmare that took place so long ago. Brought back into life by Spielberg, I will show how he creates excitement and tension in the most realistic of ways. I will discuss how he portrays the characters, his use of sound and last of all, his use of camera shots and how they contribute to the overall effect of the scene. Spielberg manifests an overall memorable opening scene and I will show just how. Released on the 24th July 1998, ‘Saving Private Ryan' promised to break all blockbuster records and go straight to the top. Spielberg stunned the world with the film's realism and authenticity, proving that his renowned reputation is not just hearsay, but fact. The plot is loosely inspired by the true story of the Niland brothers, where two of the four were killed and the third, presumed dead. The decision was made to retrieve the fourth, to prevent a national uproar and from a whole family from being wiped out due to War. The plot, proving exciting, brings much controversy over the mission to risk eight lives for the sake of one. The whole epic World War 11 drama cost approximately $65 million in total, most of which was spent on the graphic detail and effects in the first battle scene of the film. Although the twenty-five minute battle scene is complex cinematically and visually, the plot of the beach landings follows through reasonably simply. The scene starts off in focus of a small regiment of troops, quivering inside the hull of a boat, petrified by the sound of oncoming machine gun fire. The ramps fall down as a wheel spins round, pronouncing the ends to most of their lives. The boat opens out as many are shot dead instantly by the flurry of bullets thrust toward them. Few make it out a live before they have to plough through thousands of dead up the beach. As the battle scene cuts into view, the first character to be seen visually is Captain Miller. This immediately indicates that he is high up in rank and so, instantly gives him a commanding presence among the craft. The calmness of his voice even seems to sedate the tension in the atmosphere. However, the initial part of him to be seen is his pair of trembling hands. This conventionally is a sign of fear and to some, may show a weakness. Leaders are not usually associated with fear; stereotypically they are fearless. Spielberg has used this ironically, to show the realism within his character. All the soldiers fighting on that day were normal citizens fighting for pride and country. They all experienced fear. On D- day there were no fearless war heroes such as John Wayne and this is why Captain Miller, along with all the other troops, is shown in trepidation. As the shot moves outward, the whole of Captain Miller's body is revealed. His appearance can be seen and again realism is reinforced. The person acting as Captain Miller, Tom Hanks does not have the stereotypical appearance of a War hero; he is small, placid and in lack of the muscle attributes usually associated with a clichid soldier. Through this casting Spielberg conveys a message. The men fighting on that day were normal. They weren't all large men built of muscle, who could defy death and so, the person cast as Captain Miller isn't either. Through this, the character of Captain Miller is made realer to the audience, thus making the film more accurate and historically correct. On the beach, after the regiment has landed, the Captain experiences a brief period where his emotions and conscience are thrown into turmoil. The horror of what is happening around him starts to sink in, as all terror results in a mental breakdown. The fact that he does not just march through the beach and that he is affected shows his compassion and empathy. It shows he is a caring human being; one who is gravely affected by the horrific things being done to his comrades. Through this period of collapse, Spielberg creates lots of tension, as the audience, who have gradually started to become attached to this realistic character, are willing him to snap out of it and gain his composure. They want him to get out of this situation and lead his troops up the beach. Another character that stands prominent in this scene is that of Sergeant Horvath. Spielberg has used Horvath's character to contrast with Captain Miller, and this is seen even in the first few seconds of his dibut. Immediately as the audience set eyes upon his broad build, it can be seen that he is much more robust than the Captain and that he conforms more to the stereotypical image of a fictional war hero. I think that Spielberg has highlighted this point emphasise the normality and ordinary image of Captain Miller. He has done this to show that soldiers were all shapes and sizes. Through this contrast made, the realism of both characters is increased as they both can be recognised uniquely. Horvath and Miller again contrast in their methods of dealing with the trepidation and horror thrown at them. Whereas the Captain releases his petrified state through the constant trembling of his hands, Horvath allows his fear to disperse through chewing. Through Horvath's different reaction, Spielberg defines his character more, making him more realistic as he deals with situations in a different way. As soldiers in real life all reacted uniquely depending on their personalities, Horvath does too. The audience then can identify better with him, likening him to people they know, thus recognising him as a real type of person, one who is unique. Although Captain Miller and Sergeant Horvath contrast in many ways, together they form a prevailing partnership. In every order relayed by the Captain, the Sergeant reinforces it, thus portraying his regard, proving that he has an immense admiration for the man. Horvath continuously stays close to the Captain, waiting for his command and looking out for him. Spielberg uses him as the Captains right arm. Everything about Horvath, from his bear like face, down to his cumbersome build, shout; protector! In view of this, the audience take a liking to him and confide comfort in the fact that Horvath will protect and bring their ‘everyman' (the Captain) to safety. Spielberg uses the relationship between the two characters to excite the audience, as he shows that War is so out of the ordinary, that it brought together people in friendships who otherwise wouldn't have done so. Captain Miller and Sergeant Horvath have such a strong relationship during this scene that excitement arouses among the audience, as they know that together the two will survive. Private Jackson, the regiment's sniper is another character that has an essential role in the battle scene. His preliminary appearance is in the landing craft, immediately before the ramps descend. His face, being one of pure dread is an open book to the audience. He is so terrified that his expression and the first act that he commits, a kiss on a cross, show that he believes that there is no hope for survival left. It is as though he thinks that a kiss on the cross is the last action he is going to do and that if God is ever going to come to his aid, let it be now. I think that Spielberg has used this crucifix and his expression of misgiving, to draw compassion for the Private, but also to show how close death is to God. Immense suspense is created through the terror in Jackson's eyes. Private Jackson is not focused upon much during the struggle to gain ground and progress up the beach, however is substantial in the climax of the Scene. In this section of the scene, there is a long pause where the camera focuses upon the concentration on Jackson's face. He is speaking to God as he prepares to shoot and kill the Germans. During this moment of prayer, Jackson is in the action, yet alone and buried in responsibility. The long, seemingly calm pause is interspersed with other images of the dying, frantically praying to God in midst of all Chaos. Spielberg has used this range of images varied together, to prolong Jackson's pause, generating tension as the audience anticipate the outcome. The different images are of various scenarios, where like Jackson they are praying to God in their time of need. Although the requirements of God are very different, this just shows that whatever situation that people are in, the natural instinct at the end of the day, is to call for a supernatural being, to come at their rescue. The element of spiritual confiding in this, show again just how close death is to God and this is clearly portrayed when Jackson say's: â€Å"I am close to you Lord†. This is said moments before the Private shoots. He at this point is unsure of his survival and shows that he knows that he is incredibly close to dying. Spielberg lets the audience know this too and creates ample suspense through the pause. All tension that has been lingering is completely released when Private Jackson shoots and kills the remaining Germans. At this point the enemy onslaught has been destroyed and the American Soldiers are safe. Spielberg uses this point to release all of the excitement and tension that has been building up, transferring the audience into a relative calm. In the whole of the Battle scene, death is an element not escaped from. Spielberg has chosen to portray War how it really was, holding nothing back. In real life, death is not heroic; it is a tragedy that brings fear into the hearts of all men. It was not attractive, it was horrific and to keep it in line with realism. Spielberg too had to show it in this way. During the Scene, everywhere you turn, there is a person dying a painful death, with screams pronouncing the bodies awash with blood. Spielberg creates compassion among the audience, with empathy for the injured. However, he also arouses tension as the thought that maybe one of their favoured characters will be next, loiters in their minds. Spielberg has chosen to show death in such graphic detail, to keep nothing back from the audience. He wants to show it in a realistic way and I think wants to make it as authentic as possible. In other fictional War films, the Soldiers die heroically and for a patriotic reason. In reality, the Soldiers did not want to die and were scared out of their wits. Spielberg has portrayed it much truer to life and has steered away from these stereotypical films into reality, in order to keep the whole film's authenticity as honest as possible. Unlike the Americans during the scene, the audience does not see the Germans' faces. The camera shot restricts the view to distinguish only their backs, shoulders and arms from the rear. Spielberg has done this to dehumanise them, taking away the audiences empathy for their emotions. The eyes are said to be the ‘windows into your soul' and by masking their faces the audience cannot see them and therefore can't sympathise with their emotional state. The Germans were human and they too were going through the same trauma as the Americans. However, Spielberg wanted to get the audience biased toward the allies and so stopped the audience from having any compassion for the ‘enemy'. By doing this, Spielberg creates tension as the audience don't want the Germans (whom they have no emotional attachment to) to kill the ‘much loved' Americans. One machine gun post poses the greatest threat of all, mowing down life by life in every careless movement. The regiment of Soldiers, led by Captain Miller, work as a unified team to break past the barbed wire and screams of the dying. Taking cover, with the aid of their sniper, they kill they gunners and advance past the German bunker. All tension is then released; we know that for now that they are safe. Spielberg has used the characters in such a way, to reinforce the overall realism in the scene. By using one stereotypical character to represent the professional soldiers fighting on that day, he contrasts the rest of the characters to him, emphasising their statuses as average civilians. Through this contrast, realism is put into each of the characters as the realisation that these men were ordinary, comes into the minds of each spectator. Spielberg exploits the character's thoughts and feelings, making the audience connect with them, thus producing tension at the uncertainty of their survival. Through these points made by Spielberg, as a teenage male, I can appreciate the fact that these soldiers were not much older than I and that they weren't all war heroes, but young, petrified men. Sound is another resource greatly used by Spielberg. The ever-loud rapidity of war seems to up the pace of the scene constantly, heightening the adrenaline of the audience and bringing their physical emotional rate in parallel with the chaos on the screen. Spielberg produces immense excitement, as the audience cannot bear to look away. Every moment is unpredictable and so is the sound along with it and this is extremely exciting and tense for the spectator. The last and possibly the greatest used of all three techniques is that of camera work. Spielberg has used this element to create immense tension in the scene. He has done this most notably through a deception early on, by killing off characters that the audience have become attached to and so, simulating an emotion of loss. Through out the scene he has used a long lingering shots to contrast with the rapid staccato of battle, emphasising certain important pauses, thus also generating suspense. The shots of death throughout the scene are extremely moving and certainly cause every spectator to stop and think about the brave men who died on 6th June 1944. Saving Private Ryan It was an inspiration that the private Ryan should be sent safely to his home. The part in which the General read the Letter to Mrs. Bixby, written by Abraham Lincoln to sympathize the mother of five sons believed to have been killed in the American Civil War it is the film back to Rodat's Civil War inspiration. Spielberg in this film has innovated a style of direction. The director has made enormous efforts to make the movie seem real to the viewers. For this purpose, a ‘first person’ camera has been used and the cameras have not been installed right through the large scene, to show the actions, because due to first person camera, the viewer can eye witness the whole environment presented by the director. And as a result, throughout the movie; the consequence on the viewer is a feeling of actually being â€Å"present† during the scenes the scenes as intense as the assault on the beachhead and during the other action sequences. The viewer mind does not feel like a spectator, but rather as an interactive part of a moment in time. To give the real impact; underwater cameras were also used. Through these cameras fighting scenes under the water were clearly available to the viewers to witness, they could even see bullets striking the soldiers under the water. A huge amount of fake blood was used to make the viewer feel the scene real. By these efforts of the director the viewer gets actually involved and feels the dreadful environment of the war. In the beginning of the movie Tom Hanks who played the role of Captain John Miller leaded the company on the D-Day in the fight for Omaha beach. And now he is being sent on a risky mission in which he has to rescue a soldier. When the World War II was on going, the news is given to Chief of Staff, General Marshall that during the war, three brothers of the same family have died. The three brothers have died in action. And three letters were sent to their mother having the news of the death of her three sons on the same day, and their mother, Mrs. Ryan, could not bear this as it was very painful to her. And then he learns that a fourth son is also a soldier and he might be alive, the General plans to send a unit to find him and bring him back, in spite of being told that it's highly doubtful that he is still alive and the area that he was known to be at is very risky. As it was still a great chance that could alleviate the grief of Mrs. Ryan; the army did not miss the opportunity when they learnt that there is a fourth brother whose name was Private James Ryan. So it was decided to send the squad to locate him so that he can go back to his mother. So the unit consisting of 8 men is sent to find him but as affirmed it's very unsafe and one by one, each of them dies. It was a risky mission and the lives of soldiers were in danger. Captain Miller has the task to find Private James Ryan. On the way to Ramelle, Miller makes a decision to take the chance to neutralize a small German machine gun position near to an abandoned radar station. In the resulting fight the squad's medic, Wade (Ribisi) is gravely wounded. The last surviving German wraths the, squad members except Upham (Davies) because he used to be his friend. Miller decides to let the German walk away and capitulate himself to the next allied patrol. Reiben is no longer confident in the leadership of Miller and he declares his purpose to desert, brings about a tense disagreement with Horvath (Sizemore) that intimidates to split the squad apart until Miller finds a solution to the situation and reveals his origins, on which the squad had made a bet and after this Reiben decides to stay. The squad finally arrives to Ramelle where they demolish a German scouting unit with the help of some American paratroopers and one of them was Ryan. In Ramelle the unit gets regrouped. The American army defended the town and Ryan comes to know about the death of his brothers and the rescue mission. Ryan refuses to leave his makeshift unit, and demands that he want to help defend the bridge against a future German counter-attack. Miller unwillingly agrees and allowed Ryan to stay and orders his unit to help guard the bridge in the forthcoming battle. Miller takes command and sets up the defense with manpower and resources they have which were not very sufficient. Towed Flak 38 cannon and half-tracks were owned by the Germans. Thus they were well equipped. The defense operation was leaded by Captain Miller. Americans fought well and made the Germans face heavy casualties. But Germans have killed many Americans squad members. The American unit was devastated by Germans. The defenders had to leave the bridge because the German Tankers had made them suffer a lot . The bridge gets blown by the Americans but on the same time Captain Miller gets injured by the German. An American soldier destroyed the tank when it was about to reach the bridge. The American Army after this advanced even more and defeated the remaining German forces. But only few of American soldiers could survive which included: Ryan, Reiben and Upham. In the last moments of Miller; the last words which he uttered were this: â€Å"James†¦ earn this. Earn it. † (Spielberg 1998) Now the elderly man is being shown which was shown in the beginning of the movie as well. He is actually Ryan and he is at the grave of Miller. Ryan wanted to prove in front of Miller that he has spent his life as a good man. To get the confirmation he requests his wife to say that he has lived as a ‘good man'. And he has not let down Miller and the sacrifice he made for him. COMPARISON OF SAVING PRIVATE RYAN AND WAR BETWEEN GEORGIA AND RUSSIA: The war between Georgia and Russia can be compared to this movie in several ways; in fact all the wars can be compared to each other, as their consequences are always the same, each and every war results in bloodshed and loss of property and really precious lives. The attack of Georgia resembles Germany’s attack that began the World War II. The blood shed rate is high in this war also; it has also caused thousands of people and is the peril to world harmony. As both the nations are well equipped and do not hesitate in causing damages to the opponents. The 2008 war formally began on August 7, 2008 with a military attack by Georgia into one of two provinces, which had affirmed independence sixteen years ago in 1992. Russian quickly reacted with a large scale vengeance in the province and later invaded into Georgia proper. There are various comparisons between the ongoing war of Russia and Georgia with the movie Saving Private Ryan, some of which are discussed in details below: LOSS OF LIVES: So many people have lost there lives in both the depictions of war, i. . the Georgia and Russia war and the events of WWII that have been presented in the movie. Rivers of blood are flowing and everywhere in the environment cries can be heard, war is the second name of devastation. Blood and only blood can be seen all around. The reality of war is extremely brutal. WEAPONS USED: The means of attacking the opponents are almost the same in the movie and the Russia Georgia war. Massive firepower was used in both of them. Tanks attacked the militants as well as the civilians and also jets were used for the attacks. THE REASONS BEHIND THE ATTACK: The causes of both the wars were unknown initially; as both the attacks were made unilaterally, and then the suffering nations had to counter attack in their defense. In the Russia Georgia war, heavy bombardment started from Georgia’s side and in the movie the assault began from the side of Germany. CONCLUSION: This description of war and the portrayal of war which the movie â€Å"Saving Private Ryan† presents seem the same; by reading all these details we imagine blood and painful voices all around. Not only the militants but the civilians also equally suffer; just as the movie has presented the war; the actual war between Georgia and Russia is equally cruel. The war is always horrible, whether we see it in reality or through any other medium. The sketch this movie makes in the mind of the viewer is the actual representation of brutalities of war. Another comparison one can find between these two can be the loss of lives of the militants which so sincerely fight for the defense of the nation and yet meet very cruel deaths. War is nothing but an extreme threat to the people and our mother earth.

Literary Terms Modern Essay Essay

The aim of this glossary is not to set in concrete words that are constantly changing and evolving, but rather to help students develop the critical tools and vocabulary with which to understand and talk about poetry. Since poets themselves often disagree about the meaning and importance of terms such as free verse, rhythm, lyric, structure, and the prose poem, and since control of literary discourse is part of each new generation’s struggle for poetic ascendancy, it seems only reasonable and appropriate for the student to view all efforts to define critical terminology in a historical perspective and with a healthy degree of scepticism. This mini-glossary reflects the continuing debate between traditional metrics and free verse, and between differing conceptions of the poet’s craft and role in society. A fuller and more lively debate may often be found in the notes on the poets and in the poetics section. In a number of instances, I have been less concerned to offer hard-andfast definitions than to alert readers to the controversy that surrounds certain critical terms. The following list is by no means complete, but is intended to aid and provoke, to stimulate discussion and debate and send the curious reader on to more comprehensive sources. I have made use of and recommend highly A Glossary of Literary Terms (1957), by M. H. Abrams; the Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics (1974), edited by Alex Preminger, Frank, J. Warnke, and O. B. Hardison, Jr; and The Poet’s Dictionary: A Handbook of Prosody and Poetic Devices (1989), by William Packard. G. G. ccent The emphasis, or stress, placed on a syllable, reflecting pitch, duration, and the pressures of grammar and syntax. While all syllables are accented or stressed in speech and in poetry, we tend to describe the less dominant as unstressed or unaccented syllables. In metrical verse, accented and unaccented (stressed and unstressed) syllables are easily identified. Robert Burns’s famous line â€Å"My love is like a red, red rose† might be described as an iambic tetrameter line, with four feet each consisting of one unaccented syllable followed by an accented one. However, it can be argued that such a reading trivializes and effectively undercuts the emotional power of the poetic utterance, and that the sense of the line dictates a slightly different reading, which locates three strong stresses or accents in the second half of the line: â€Å"My love is like a red, red rose†. See also FEET and METER. 2 20 -Century Poetry & Poetics th alexandrine A twelve-syllable line, usually consisting of six iambic feet. alliteration A common poetic device that involves the repetition of the same sound or sounds in words or lines in close proximity. Alliteration was most pronounced in Anglo-Saxon poems such as â€Å"The Wanderer† and â€Å"The Seafarer†, which Earle Birney imitates in his satire of Toronto, â€Å"Anglo-Saxon Street†: Dawndrizzle ended dampness steams from Blotching brick and blank plasterwaste Faded house patterns hoary and finicky unfold stuttering stick like a phonograph While such intense piling up of consonants was once a common mnemonic device (an aid to memory), changing literary fashions have, to a large extent, rendered such self-conscious exhibitions too blunt and obvious for the contemporary ear, except when used for comic purposes. Exceptions include rap poetry and spoken word, both of which make extensive use of alliteration and rhyme. Nevertheless, the repetition, or rhyming, of vowels, consonants, and consonant clusters (nt, th, st, etcetera) remains a still a central component in constructing the soundscape of the poem, just as the repetition and variation of image and idea enrich the intellectual and sensory fabric. The most talented practitioners will be listening backwards and forwards as they compose, picking up and repeating both images and sounds that give the poem a rich and interlocking texture. See ASSONANCE, CONSONANCE, RHYME, and PROSODY. allusion Personal, topical, historical, or literary references are common in poetry, though, to be successful, they require an audience with shared experience and values. Biblical or classical allusions, for example, or Canadian political allusions, might be totally unrecognizable to an Asian Muslim reader. Although readers soon tire of verbal exhibitionism, they still expect a degree of allusion to challenge them and to stimulate curiosity. Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s â€Å"Junkman’s Obgligato† assumes the reader’s familiarity with both T. S. Eliot’s â€Å"Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† and W. B. Yeats’s â€Å"Lake Isle of Innisfree† for a full appreciation of the ironic counterpointing of down-and-out urban images and those of an idealized pastoral landscape. At the same time, the poem also overflows with topical and literary allusions from the junkyard of nineteenth- and twentieth-century European and American culture. ambiguity Words and the texts they inhabit are susceptible of a variety of interpetations. While a word may denote one thing, usage and context often bring various connotations to bear on the meaning, or meanings, of that word in the poem. As the American poet Randall Jarrell explains in his essay â€Å"The Obscurity of the Poet† (in Poetry and the Age, 1953), what we speak of as literature ranges from Dante’s Divine Comedy, with its seven levels of meaning, to Reader’s Digest, which, Glossary of Poetic Terms 3 like pulp fiction and greeting-card verse, barely manages half a level of meaning. Sophisticated readers not only enjoy, but also demand a certain level of ambiguity, or mystery, in poems. They find such ambiguity in Shakespeare, who loved puns, double-entendre, and various kinds of wordplay; they find it also in such early Moderns as T. S. Eliot, W. B. Yeats, Ezra Pound, and Wallace Stevens, who were influenced by seventeenth-century Metaphysical poets and French Symbolist poets, for both of whom the poem retains something of the quality of a riddle. As a result of declining audiences, a general trend towards a democratization of the arts, and the pressure of new kinds of psychological and political content, the pendulum of taste since mid-century swung towards less ambiguity. While puns and worldplay still add to our sense of the fecundity and depth of poetic expression, contemporary poets admit that a rose may, at times, be intended only as a rose; and they tend to avoid the use of obscure and esoteric references. See Robert Graves’ Poetic Unreason (1925) and William Empson’s Seven Types of Ambiguity (1930). anapest A metrical foot consisting of two unaccented syllables followed by an accented one: / ? ? ? /. See METRE. anaphora The rhetorical device of using the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines to obtain the effect of incantation. See Ginsberg’s â€Å"Howl† and Cohen’s â€Å"You Have the Lovers† and â€Å"style†. apostrophe A literary device of â€Å"turning away†, usually to address a famous person or idea. In the classical Greek plays of Aeschylus and Euripides, the chorus would march across the stage in one direction chanting various stanzas, or strophes, and then reverse their motion in an anti-strophe, or verbal about-face. In twentiethcentury poetry, the apostrophe is just as likely to be used ironically, or for romantic or satirical purposes. rchetype When you sense that a literary character, situation, or idea has significance far beyond its specific, or particular, occasion in the poem, you are probably in the presence of an archetype. In an essay called â€Å"Blake’s Treatment of the Archetype† (English Institute Essays, 1950), Northrop Frye says: â€Å"By archetype I mean an element in a work of literature, whether a character, an image, a nar rative formula, or an idea, which can be assimilated into a larger unifying pattern. † Psychologist C. G. Jung, in an essay called â€Å"The Problem of Types in Poetry† (1923), gives another dimension to the matter: â€Å"The primordial image or archetype is a figure, whether it be a daemon, man, or process, that repeats itself in the course of history wherever creative fantasy is freely manifested. Essentially, therefore, it is a mythological figure. If we subject these images to a closer examination, we discover them to be the formulated resultants of countless typical experiences of our ancestors. They are, as it were, the psychic residue of numberless experiences of the same type. 4 20 -Century Poetry & Poetics th Sibling rivalry, the betrayed or rejected lover, the innocent abroad, the rebel, the fool, the seasonal cycles of rebirth, fertility, and death, the enchanter or enchantress—all are common characters or situations in literature that can deepen our appreciation of a work of art. However, the search for universal symbols can be reductive in the reading of a poe m; so, too, can excessive efforts to make a work symbolic or archetypal reduce a poem into a sociology text or an essay on psychology. ssonance Also called vocalic rhyme, assonance is the repetition or recurrence of vowel sounds within a line (or lines), a stanza, or the overall poem. Listen to the long vowels conjure expiration and death in Wilfred Owen’s â€Å"Greater Love†: â€Å"As theirs whom none now hear, / Now earth has stopped their piteous mouths that coughed. † Assonance is most obvious among words beginning with an open, or initial, vowel (open / eyes / eat / autumn), but equally powerful as an internal rhyming device (tears / mean, thine / divine). allad A popular short narrative folk song, usually transmitted orally, and making use of various forms of shorthand, including truncated action, psychological and historical sketchiness, and a chorus or refrain for heightened impact and easy memorizing. A direct link can be drawn between such early folk s ongs as â€Å"Barbara Ellen† and â€Å"The Skye Boat Song†, country western music, and such contemporary ballads such as â€Å"Frankie and Johnny†, Leonard Cohen’s â€Å"Suzanne†, and Stan Rogers’ â€Å"The Lockkeeper†. lank verse Unrhymed iambic pentameter verse has been a staple since it was introduced by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, around 1540 in his translations of Virgil’s Aeneid. Shakepeare and Christopher Marlowe both used blank verse in their plays; in poetry, Milton used it for Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, Wordsworth for The Prelude, and T. S. Eliot for The Waste Land. Eliot claimed in Poetry in the Eighteenth Century (1930) that the decasyllabic (or ten-syllable) line was â€Å"intractably poetic† yet had many of the capacities of prose. As such, blank verse could be said to be a precursor of the prose poem, which seems more aligned with ordinary speech and the counting of syllables than with poetic meter. broken rhyme The dividing of a word between two lines to fulfill the requirements of rhyme: Madame had learned to waltz before the charge of falsehood had been laid . . . cadence When poet John Ciardi describes the poem as â€Å"a countermotion across a silence†, he comes close to defining cadence, which refers to the pattern of melody established from line to line that creates in the reader a sense of time slowed down Glossary of Poetic Terms 5 and palpable. While cadence originally referred to regular traditional poetic measures, in which syllables and feet could be counted and identified, the term has come to be used more in relation to irregular patterning, where stress and accent are much looser and determined primarily by phrasing and syntax. Cadence is what Ezra Pound was referring to when he spoke of composing with the musical phrase instead of the metronome. Also worth reading is Dennis Lee’s essay â€Å"Cadence, Country, Silence†, in which he employs the term broadly and with greater cultural import. See also MEASURE, MUSIC, RHYTHM, and SONG. caesura This term is used to refer to any substantial break or pause within the line, though it is most often found in lines of five or more feet. The caesura was a regular feature in Anglo-Saxon poetry, dividing the two alliterating units within the line, bluntly drawn in Earle Birney’s â€Å"Anglo-Saxon Street† or more subtly in Wilfred Owen’s â€Å"Arms and the Boy†: Let the boy try along this bayonet blade How cold steel is, and keen with hunger of blood; Blue with all malice, like a madman’s flash; And thinly drawn with famishing for flesh. anto While in the twentieth century the term is often used to mean, simply, a song or a ballad, the canto was originally a subdivision of epic or narrative, which provided both a simpler organizing principle for the creator of the long poem and a muchneeded respite for the singer during delivery. Ezra Pound draws on both meanings of the word when he calls his great epic-length series of meditations The Cantos. conceit When a METAPHOR or other FIGURE OF SPEECH is extended over many lines, it is called a conceit. oncreteness Concrete nouns referring to objects, such as lip, flint, hubcap, gunbarrel, wheel, smoke, sugar, and fingernail, seem capable of making their appeal through the senses. So, too, verbs, such as run, scream, chop, and lick. Concrete words activate the imagination and anchor poetry in the world of particulars. A gifted poet such as Samuel Johnson can use abstract words in such as way as to make them feel concrete, as in the line â€Å"stern famine guards the solitary coast†, where the abstract idea is given the quality of ternness, the action of guarding, and a spatial location. e. e. cummings concretized abstractions in much the same way: â€Å"love is more thicker than forget, / more thinner than recall / more seldom than a wave is wet / more frequent than to fail†. concrete poetry This name was first applied in the twentieth century to works that exploit the visual and auditory limits of poetry, ranging from contemporary â€Å"visual puns† back to a seventeenth-century â€Å"shape-poem† whose typography was de- 6 20 -Century Poetry & Poetics th ployed to create the image of an altar. Since so much of the power of poetry is derived from sound—from rhythmical patterns, the residue of recurring vowels and consonants—it’s hardly surprising to find poets who break words into component syllables and letters, downplaying the intellectual dimension of poetry and emphasizing, instead, the psychic energy to be found in the acoustic dimension of language. See the notes on, and poems and poetics by, bpNichol, as well as An Anthology of Concrete Poetry (1967), edited by Emmett Williams, ed. consonance Consonance is the repetition of consonants in words or syllables with differing vowels: winter / water / went / waiter. See, for example, Wilfred Owen’s â€Å"Strange Meeting†, which proceeds with a series of consonantal half rhymes: escaped / scooped, groined / groaned, moan / mourn. content The substance or subject matter of a poem, as opposed to its style or manner, is what we usually refer to when we speak of content. But content cannot, properly, be discussed apart from form. A poet may begin to write a poem, broadly speaking, about war, love, or beach-combing; however, as soon as his or her thought begins to take shape as poetic language, as form, it is so transformed by the process that it bears little or no relation to the original impulse. Ideas or anecdotes that find their way into a poem are not the poem’s content, though they are certainly germaine to its overall impact. In fact, everything in the poem contributes to what we might call its content. Poets have reacted strongly to attempts to oversimplify their work or reduce it to a generalization or two. Archibald MacLeish argued that â€Å"A poem should not mean, but be. † Most poets believe that the poem is its own meaning. Robert Creeley insisted that content and form are indivisible, and rejected â€Å"any descriptive act . . . which leaves the attention outside the poem†. It’s probably most useful to stop asking what a poem means and begin to consider, as John Ciardi suggests in his book title, How Does A Poem Mean? If you begin to examine the formal and technical elements in a poem, the ways in which certain effects are achieved, you are more likely to arrive at a point of understanding and appreciation of the poem far beyond any simple statement about its content. See also DICTION, FORM, PROSODY. couplet The couplet—two lines of verse, usually rhymed—is one of the most common and useful verse forms in English and Chinese poetry. The couplet’s brevity encourages a pithy, epigrammatic quality; its two-line split provides a fulcrum which lends itself to argumentative summary and generalization, as in Alexander Pope’s â€Å"Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; / The proper study of mankind is man†. Closed couplets such as Pope’s or Dryden’s, which use mostly iambic pentameter lines and complete their thought with the final end-rhyme, are also called heroic couplets, a form that dominated the eighteenth-century English neoclassical period. Glossary of Poetic Terms 7 The couplet has many uses, as a concentrating unit within the poem or as a separate stanza form. Shakespeare used the couplet to conclude his sonnets forcefully. See also GHAZAL. dactyl A metrical foot consisting of an accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables: / ? ? ? /. See FOOT and METER. diction Word choice. The French poet Verlaine felt the need to remind us that poems are made of words, not ideas. This is useful to think about, since poems are often spoken and written of as if they were chunks of autobiography, representations of nature, or little treatises on how to conduct, or not to conduct, our lives. Words are magical. When nature, experience, or ideas—any of which may give rise to a poem—pass through the rucible of language, they are transformed, as surely as white light is split into a spectrum of colour when it passes through a prism. Words, similarly, slow and alter those non-linguistic elements that endeavour to use or pass through them; that’s one reason poems, stories, and other verbal texts give us the impression of time slowe d down, of felt time. Words and the ideas they carry fly rather quickly through the brain, but when you speak or hear them you become aware of being immersed in another element, like a diver suddenly encountering water. These considerations are central to postmodern poetics, which seeks to remind us that the poem is not a mirror of nature or a window through which we see the natural world, or so-called reality, but rather a verbal reality in its own right. When the word, or language in general, is foregrounded, poetry ceases to be simply a vehicle for conveying pictures of, and passing on information about, quotidian reality; it aspires, instead, to the condition of other arts such as music and painting, where representation and referentiality are not the only, or even the primary, concern. In a sense, words are the poet’s paint, his or her primary medium. Coleridge once spoke of poetry as â€Å"the best words in the best order†. He was using the word best in the sense of most appropriate in a specific context, not with the idea that certain kinds of words are forbidden or inherently better or worse than others, though the choice would have its own moral significance. Words are dirty with meaning and can never be washed clean; we use them for ordinary discourse, to sell lawnmowers, to deliver sermons, and to make political speeches. As Joseph Conrad once wrote, using the Archimedean metaphor: Give me the right word or phrase and I will move the world. M. H. Abrams reminds us that diction can be described as â€Å"abstract or concrete, Latinate or Anglo-Saxon, colloquial or formal, technical or common, literal or figurative†, to which we might add archaic, plain, elevated. See CONCRETENESS and WORD, and also Owen Barfield’s Poetic Diction (1952) and Winnifred Nowottny’s The Language Poets Use (1962). 8 20 -Century Poetry & Poetics th idactic While classical and neo-classical poetics argue that poetry should both teach and delight, in didactic poems the teaching function tends to override the imaginative. Such works, often dismissed as propaganda, recall Yeats’s distinction, that his argument with the world produced only rhetoric, whereas his argument with himself resulted in poetry. And yet all great works are overtly or covertly didactic, whether they teach us indirectly and sublimina lly through the senses (by way of imagery and patterns of sound) or by arguing transparently. And, of course, all art, while it may not be a blatant call to arms, is an effort to persuade us to view the world differently. dimetre A line of verse consisting of two feet. dissonance An effect of harshness or discordance in a poem, often achieved by combining rhythmical irregularity and a jarring concentration of consonants. distich A COUPLET. dramatic monologue Unlike the soliloquy, in which a character on stage reveals his or her inner thoughts by â€Å"thinking aloud†, the dramatic monologue assumes and addresses an audience of one or more people. In the process of addresing this audience, the speaker of the dramatic monologue manages to confess, or simply reveal, a character flaw, a dread deed, or an impending crisis. Robert Browning pioneered the form in poems such as â€Å"My Last Duchess†, â€Å"Andrea del Sarto†, and â€Å"Fra Lippo Lippi†, but it has been used by Tennyson in â€Å"Ulysses†, by Eliot in â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock†, and by many contemporary writers. duration The length of acoustic or phonetic phenomena such as syllables. According to linguists, the sounds we produce when we speak have pitch, loudness, quality, and duration. Aside from grammatical and syntactical considerations, the pacing in, or the speed at which we read, a poem is largely determined by the length of time it takes to enunciate syllables, lines, and stanzas. Short vowels speed up the poem; long vowels slow it down. See also MEASURE, MUSIC, PROSODY, RHYTHM, and SONG. elegy Originally a specifically metered Greek or Roman form, the elegy has come to refer generally to a sustained meditation on mutability or a formal lament on the death of a specific person. The conventional pastoral elegy included a rural setting, with shepherds and flowers (all nature mourning), an invocation to the muse, a procession, and a final consolation. Classics such as Milton’s â€Å"Lycidas†, Thomas Gray’s â€Å"Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard†, and Shelley’s â€Å"Adonais† are clearly the chief source and influence on such contemporary elegies as W. H. Auden’s â€Å"In Memory of W. B. Yeats†, Michael Ondaatje’s â€Å"Letters & Other Worlds†, Seamus Heaney’s â€Å"Requiem for the Croppies†, and so many of the poems of Adrienne Rich, Denise Levertov, Lorna Crozier and Michael Longley. In fact, one Glossary of Poetic Terms 9 might safely say that the elegiac tone is dominant in English poetry from Beowulf to the present. enjambment A means of escaping the limitations and rigidity of the end-stopped line or closed couplet, enjambment occurs when a sentence or thought carries over from one line to the next. The enjambed line, with its greater freedom and flexibility, has served to focus a great deal of attention on the position of line-breaks in twentiethcentury poetry. See LINE-BREAKS and also Al Purdy’s poem â€Å"The Cariboo Horses†. pic While the epic, or heroic, poem such as Homer’s Iliad and Odsyssey or the AngloSaxon classic Beowulf—each with its elevated style, tribal or national struggles, invocations to the muse, occasional use of the supernatural, and cast of important, or exalted, figures—belongs to an earlier age, it has not lost its appeal to poets of later ages. From Dante’s Divine Comedy, Spenser’s F? r ie Queene, Milton’s Paradise Lost, and Dryden’s and Pope’s mock epic satires to such contemporary long poems as Pound’s The Cantos, W. C. Williams’s Paterson, Atwood’s The Journals of Susanna Moodie, and Ondaatje’s The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, the long, or extended, poem has provided an alternative to the limited scope, self-directedness and, perhaps, too intense heat of the lyric. See LONG POEM and NARRATIVE. epigram A short, witty poem or statement, seldom more than four lines long, whose form dates back to Roman epigrammatist Martial. Alexander Pope’s poems are full of condensed witticisms that might be displayed as separate epigrams: â€Å"To err is human; to forgive, divine†. ye-rhyme An eye-rhyme features words or syllables that look alike but are pronounced differently: come / home; give / contrive. feminine ending While it may no longer be politically correct, this term is still used in criticism to refer to a line that ends with one or more unstressed syllables. Far from suggesting weakness or passivity, feminine endings are more flexible and colloquial, and their in formality and irregularity have been especially useful in dramatic blank verse. feminine rhyme A two-syllable (or disyllabic) rhyme, usually a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable: witness / fitness. igurative language When language is heightened so that it moves beyond ordinary, or literal, usage, it is said to be figurative. These figures, figures of speech, or tropes (â€Å"turns†), as they are sometimes called, include simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, paradox, and pun. An extended figure of speech is called a CONCEIT. 10 20 -Century Poetry & Poetics th figure A group of words that evoke the senses by transcending ordinary usage. Consider, for example, Gloucester’s comment in Richard III: â€Å"Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious summer by the sun of York†. oot In A Poet’s Dictionary: Handbook of Prosody and Poetic Devices (1989), William Packard provides an interesting account of the origin of the metrical foot: When the Greeks described poetry as â€Å"numbers†, they were alluding to certain conspicuous elements of verse that could be counted off: â€Å"feet† were strong dance steps that could be measured out in separate beats of a choral ode or strophe or refrain. These â€Å"feet† could then be scanned for repeating patter ns of syllable quantities, either long or short, within strophes and antistrophes of a chorus. Greek metrics, then, did not derive from accent or stress but rather from the elongation required in the pronunciation of certain vowels and syllable lengths. Instead of the quantitative designation of long and short syllables, we now use the terms stressed and unstressed, or accented and unaccented to describe the components of the poetic foot, which is essentially a group of two or more syllables that form a metrical unit in a line of verse. The most common feet are the iambic (/ ? ? /), an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable (delight); the trochaic (/ ? /), a stressed followed by an unstressed syllable (action); the anapestic (/ ? ? ? /), two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one (interrupt); the dactylic (/ ? ? ? /), a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones (comforting); and the spondaic (/ ? ? /), two stressed syllables (handbook). Other feet include the pyrrhic (/ ? ? /), one or more unstressed syllables; the amphibrachic (/ ? ? ? /), one unstressed, one stressed, one unstressed; the bacchic (/ ? ? ? /), one unstressed followed by two stressed; and the chorimabic (/ ? ? ? /), a stressed, two unstressed, and a stressed. See METER. form Form in poetry is no less intriguing and no less difficult to define and describe than form in the other arts. We can easily identify obvious elements of form, such as rhyme schemes, metrical patterns, stanza-lengths, and traditional modes like the sonnet and sestina; but the intricacies of language, timing, syntax, counterpoint, verbal play—those elements that contribute to the formal beauty and power of a poem—require some training and considerable attention. However, in an essay called â€Å"Admiration of Form: Reflections on Poetry and the Novel† (Brick / 34), poet and critic C. K. Williams offers some useful thoughts, reminding us that, among other things, form and content are inextricably allied: The important thing about form, though, is its artificiality. In English poetry, the historically dominant iambic foot is closely related to the actual movement of the voice in our language between stressed and unstressed syllables, but the regularity of the iambic line, and the five beats of the pentameter, for instance, are purely conventional. In irregular, or â€Å"free†, verse, where the Glossary of Poetic Terms 11 cadences are not regular, and not counted, it is what Galway Kinnell has called the â€Å"rhythmic surge†, which defies and controls the movement of language across its grid of artifice; the line in free verse becomes a much more defining factor of formal organization than in more arithmetical versetraditions. The crucial thing about form is that its necessities, though they are conventions, precede in importance the expressive or analytical demands of the work. Although a poem may to a greater or less degree seem to be driven by its content, in fact all the decisions a poet makes about a work finally have to be made in reference to the conventions which have been accepted as defining the formal nature of that work. If a ompelling experience is conveyed in a verse drama, if an interesting philosophical speculation occurs in a lyric poem, if a poem involves itself in an intricate and apparently entirely engrossing narrative adventure, these are secondary, although simultaneous with, the formal commitments of the work, and they must be embodied within the terms of those commitments, although in the end these almost playful divisions of an experienitial continuum, whether in the structures of a musical mode, or the pulse and surge of a poetic line, will mysteriously serve to intensify the emo tion and the meaning which the work evokes. I should mention, perhaps, that the dour and puritanical and ferociously self-serving â€Å"new formalism† has nothing to do with the notion of form I am elaborating here: the new formalism is rather a kind of conceptual primitivism which seems to gather most of its propulsive force from a distorted and jealous vision of the literary marketplace; it calls for a return to the good old safe and easily accounted-for systems of verse, with counted meters, rhyme, and so forth. All despite the generation over the last few centuries, from Smart to Blake through Whitman and countless others, of an enormous amount of significant poetry in non-traditional forms; and despite the fact that many verse-systems in the world require neither rhyme nor strictly counted meter, and despite the practice of many modern poets, who have been quite content to use whatever verse-form fitted the poem they were composing. One would not want to sacrifice either Rilke’s â€Å"Duino Elegies† or Lowell’s â€Å"Life Studies†, just to mention two poets who worked in both systems. In his essay â€Å"Rebellion and Art† (in The Rebel, 1956), Albert Camus argues that â€Å"A work in which the content overflows the form, or in which form drowns the content, only bespeaks an unconvinced and unconvincing unity. . . . Great style is invisible stylization, or rather stylization incarnate. † See PROSODY, STRUCTURE, and STYLE, and also Denise Levertovâ⠂¬â„¢s â€Å"Notes on Organic Form† in the Poetics section. free verse Poetry written with a persistently irregular meter (which is not to say without rhythm) and often in irregular line-lengths. The King James translations of 12 20 -Century Poetry & Poetics th the Psalms and Song of Songs are often held up as models of how dynamic nonmetrical poetry can be. Ezra Pound advised composing with the rhythms of the speaking-voice sounding in your ear, rather than the regular beat of the metronome; Robert Frost insisted that writing free verse was like playing tennis without a net; and T. S. Eliot claimed that no verse is free for the poet who wants to do a good job. All three were concerned to emphasize that, whether regular or irregular, the music of poetry bears close scrutiny, for it accounts for much of our pleasure as readers and, far from being incidental or decorative, is fundamental to our total experience of the poem. See LINES-BREAKS, METER, MUSIC, RHYTHM, PROSODY, and SONG. ghazal A Middle Eastern lyric, most commonly associated with the fourteenth-century Persian poet Hafiz. The ghazal consists of five to twelve closed couplets, often using the same rhyme. These seemingly disconnected couplets about love and wine are held together not by a narrative or rhetorical thread, but by a heightened tone or emotional intensity. Not surprisingly, the apparently random or non-rational structuring of the ghazal has proven attractive to twentieth-century poets as diverse as as John Thompson (Stilt Jack), Phyllis Webb (Water & Light), and Adrienne Rich. hexameter A line of verse consisting of six feet. hyperbole A figure of speech that involves extremes of exaggeration: big as a house, dumb as a doornail. ambic pentameter A line consisting of five iambic feet. Iambic pentameter is considered the poetic rhythm most basic to English speech. See FOOT and METER. image Ezra Pound described the image as â€Å"that which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time†. Other poets have spoken of images as concentrations of linguistic energy directed at the senses. The image is a controversial term, which has often been used to mean, simply, a verbal picture; however, the poetic image may also conjure things, events, and people in our minds by appealing to senses other than sight. Images are so central to language that, in the line a brown cow leapt over the fence, which constitutes a composite image, we also find four discrete images: a cow, a fence, the act of leaping, and brownness. Imagery, along with prosody, is one of the two central ingredients of poetry; and its evocative power cannot be divorced from the texture of sounds through which it is delivered. Specific images seem more likely to stimulate the senses than images that are generic (tree, animal, machine). The difference between a line such as â€Å"I think that I shall never see / A poem as lovely as a tree† and the following—â€Å"Don’t hang your bones from the branch / of that gnarled oak, exuding elegies. / The chihuahua’s waiting in the Daimler†Ã¢â‚¬â€has as much to do with diction and specificity of image as with the difference between metrical and non-metrical verse. Glossary of Poetic Terms 13 Imagism A poetic movement in England and the US between 1909 and 1917, which reacted against the discursiveness, sentimentality, and philosophizing of late nineteenth-century poetry by trying to focus on the single image.